Consider your mental health

This book focuses on physical health, which of course has tremendous impact on mental health, and vice versa. On the subject of mental health I have no formal training or expertise. All I can offer is my own personal perspective from a Christian worldview. Here are my two cents:

• Approach psychiatric medications and psychoactive herbal supplements with great caution. They should only be used temporarily in acute situations and as a last resort in chronic situations.

• Go on a short walk each morning at sunrise and think or pray about the things for which you are grateful.¹

• Of all the advice in the rest of this book, decreasing the sugar content of your diet²³⁴⁵ and decreasing screen time⁶⁷⁸⁹ will have the greatest impact on your mental health.

• Pornography is bad for your brain.¹⁰ It exhausts your libido. It undermines your enjoyment of real sex. It temporarily relieves stress, but long-term it greatly increases stress. It undermines your relationship with your spouse. It undermines your relationship with God.

• Own a pet, preferably a pet that you can pet.¹¹

• Let yourself be bored sometimes. Let yourself be sad sometimes. Don't fill your boredom or your sadness with anything. Just let it be there, and let it pass naturally.

• Christ is the only source of meaning in this fallen world, and the only hope for the life that is to come.

• Forgive as you have been forgiven.

• Use your talents to create beautiful things.

• Serve others. It will fill your cup.

• Most days do not eat for pleasure, eat for satisfaction. Let your satisfaction be your pleasure.

• Develop healthy habits, and then stop thinking about your health so much. Live an outwardly focused life.

1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10393216/

2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10851576/

3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39138127/

4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31125634/

5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33946586/

6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29499467/

7. https://www.nature.com/articles/srep46104

8. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11385738/

9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39678241/

10. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9922938/

11. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9630635/